Uncover Impacted Teeth with Orthodontic Tooth Uncovering

As we grow from children into adults, new teeth will erupt into the mouth during certain ages. One such occurrence is the eruption of the canine teeth, which typically takes place between the ages of 11 and 13 years of age. When the canines—or other teeth—begin to come in, if they do not properly erupt through the gum they may remain fully or partially buried beneath the gum tissue. This condition can lead to a wide array of problems, from excruciating headaches to improperly spaced and aligned teeth to infections and swelling. To correct this, we perform a procedure known as orthodontic tooth uncovering.

What is orthodontic tooth uncovering?

Orthodontic tooth uncovering is the process by which we first uncover a tooth that is either fully or partially buried beneath the gum line, and then move it into the proper position in your mouth. It is sometimes necessary to assist your teeth in their proper development and spacing and, although it may be unpleasant for a short while, it is highly preferable to leaving the tooth as it is.

How does the process of orthodontic tooth uncovering work?

We know that you may be nervous about the process, and we want you to fully understand everything involved before we begin. First, we will make sure to completely numb the area using an anesthetic onto the soft tissue around the area. You should not feel any discomfort during the procedure.

Once we are satisfied that the area is adequately numbed, we will push the gum tissue away from the impacted tooth. Depending on the position and orientation of the tooth, we may remove some of the bone around the tooth to give it the room it needs to properly erupt into place in your mouth.

Following the exposure of the tooth, we will use a specialized bonding agent to attach an orthodontic bracket to the tooth. This bracket grips the tooth and allows us to begin manipulating it and guiding it into the proper position.

We will attach a small chain to the bracket and use this chain to pull on the tooth and guide it into place. Of course, this will not happen immediately, as the tooth will slowly move from its impacted position into its proper position in the mouth.

Does it hurt?

Orthodontic tooth uncovering should not cause any pain during the procedure itself, as we will first make sure the area is thoroughly anesthetized. However, after the anesthesia has worn off, you may experience a little bit of discomfort. You can probably address this using simple painkillers; however, we will talk with you before and after the process to give you specialized instructions. Remember that every patient is unique and you may have certain options for pain management that are not available to everyone.

We will give you detailed aftercare instructions to make sure you heal properly and the tooth moves into its new place. Follow them carefully, and as always, you are free to call if you have any questions or concerns.